Self-Monitoring

Regular self-checks are crucial to successfully managing heart failure.

Everyone with heart failure needs to monitor their weight every day. Why? Rapid weight gain is a red flag that your heart failure is getting worse. You’ll also need to monitor your symptoms. Increased shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue, or trouble sleeping may all indicate that something is wrong. Heart failure and heart failure medications can also affect heart rate and blood pressure. So your provider may ask you to monitor those factors too.

Recognizing and responding to early signs of trouble could help you avert a crisis.